Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan Review: Shanaya Kapoor’s Debut with Vikrant Massey Tells a Love Story That Fails to See Its Own Potential

“Pyaar andha hota hai (Love is blind).” That line isn’t just a cliché—it’s actually from Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, a film about Jahaan, a visually-impaired singer, who meets Saba (played by Shanaya Kapoor in her debut) on a train journey. Saba, an aspiring actor, is blindfolded to prepare for a role, unaware that Jahaan truly cannot see. And that’s how their story begins.
The movie is based on Ruskin Bond’s short story It’s All In The Eyes, and for good reason—the story works well as a short, but when stretched into a full-length film, it starts to lose its impact.
The film trips up right from the start. A girl boards a train with a stranger, keeps her blindfold on the entire time, and no one questions it? Sure, you can suspend disbelief, but that’s just the beginning. Beyond some pretty locations and pleasant music, there’s little to hold your attention.
Written by Mansi Bagla (who also co-wrote the screenplay and dialogues), the film starts with a fresh take on romance, but quickly loses momentum. The plot feels thin and lacks emotional depth. The dramatic moments that usually lift love stories are missing here—there’s no spark, no passion, no real tension. You wait for a scene to make you care, but it never arrives.
The first half keeps you hopeful, and the second half tries to do the same, but even the scenic backdrops can’t save it. The result is a love story that feels flat and uneventful.
On the performance front, Shanaya Kapoor makes a confident debut, even if the character and story don’t give her much to work with. Vikrant Massey, who’s usually dependable, is just okay here. His role as a visually-impaired man could have been more nuanced, but it falls short. Zain Khan Durrani, playing Saba’s other love interest, is fine but unremarkable.
The one bright spot is the music by Vishal Mishra, which is soothing and genuinely enjoyable.
In the end, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan feels like a love letter that never quite reaches its recipient. It tries to touch your heart but ends up missing the mark, stumbling blindly for a spark that never comes.